What I wouldn't do
by stephie 23
Summary: It's amazing how in a split second you can come so close to losing the person you'd do anything to protect. SxS ExT Coming off of hiatus, updates may be slow as I'm in Exam month. April 2010
1. The truth lies in the shadows

Chapter 1: The truth lies in the shadows

* * *

The street lights flickered on and off creating an eerie glow on the slick city streets. A cell phone lay forgotten on the sidewalk, it kept ringing and ringing, but no one answered it. She was running for her life. Her honey brown hair swung wildly in the wind. Her emerald eyes narrowed as she put all her effort into running for her life, her very existence. Never had she been so terrified of anyone. It seemed that she had been running for hours. The figure behind her never showed any signs of stopping or even slowing down. Never had her heart beat so rapidly, she gasped for breath but continued to put all her strength into running faster. She glanced behind her, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the figure looming closer. Suddenly an image of Syaoran appeared in her head. Of all the times he had protected her, come to her rescue. She knew though that this time would be different. This time she was on her own. And this terrified her to her very core. All she wished was to be in his arms once more, she wished she had not left so abruptly. She turned a corner and ran out onto the docks, as she kept running she realized she was trapped. She turned around to make an escape for it, but it was too late. She looked up and stared straight into the eyes of her stalker.

"What are you going to do?" her tiny voice dripped with apprehension as it echoed along the silent docks.

_**BANG**_

A scream was heard echoing through the silent night as she was shot backwards. **_Splash_** her body hit the smooth surface of the lake. Her vision began to fade as she was hit by wave after wave of ice cold water. Footsteps of the mysterious figure could be heard running in the opposite direction, running back through the dark alleyway. Her mind finally wandered to Syaoran before she lost consciousness and knew no more.

* * *

He had a bad feeling. He ran through the city screaming her name. He hoped that he was wrong. Unfortunately however, his intuition had always proved accurate in the past.

"**SAKURA … SAKURA ... WHERE ARE YOU**?"

He had called everyone he knew to see if they had heard anything from her. Sakura's brother and father were out of town, and he knew that she was scared to be on her own for so long. That's one of the reasons why she was staying with him. He should never have let her go out. He had let her have her space, even though he had a bad feeling about it. He thought he was just being a little paranoid. Then he got that terrible feeling. He cursed himself for not going after her after she ran out of his place and into the night. He called her cell phone again but got no answer. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Tomoyo's number.

"Tomoyo, have you and Eriol found her yet?" He tried to conceal the panic in his voice, but to no avail.

"Listen Syaoran, calm down. We will find her. I'm sure she's alright." Although she didn't say it she had a horrible feeling, and feared for her best friends' safety.

"Okay" replied Syaoran in no more than a whisper, his thoughts began to fill with dread as he continued running.

"Good. Now Syaoran Eriol and I will head downtown, you head uptown. Call me if you find out anything."

"Okay. Hope to see you soon"

With that he tucked his cell phone back in his pocket and ran towards the north side of town, towards the docks. He was still quite a distance away when he heard a shot ring through the silent night followed by an ear piercing scream. The blood drained from his face. He ran faster, and faster, until he was almost at the docks. A shadow passed by him in the alley way. He didn't give a second thought to it. He just kept running faster and faster. Praying and hoping to God that it wasn't Sakura, his Sakura. His cell phone rang. He quickly grabbed it.


	2. To hold you one more time

**

* * *

Chapter 2: To hold you once more**

By Stephie23

* * *

**_Last Chapter_**:

"Listen Syaoran, calm down. We will find her. I'm sure she's alright." Although she didn't say it she had a horrible feeling, and feared for her best friends' safety.

"Okay" replied Syaoran in no more than a whisper, his thoughts began to fill with dread as he continued running.

"Good. Now Syaoran Eriol and I will head downtown, you head uptown. Call me if you find out anything."

"Okay. Hope to see you soon"

With that he tucked his cell phone back in his pocket and ran towards the north side of town, towards the docks. He was still quite a distance away when he heard a shot ring through the silent night followed by an ear piercing scream. The blood drained from his face. He ran faster, and faster, until he was almost at the docks. A shadow passed by him in the alley way. He didn't give a second thought to it. He just kept running faster and faster. Praying and hoping to God that it wasn't Sakura, his Sakura. His cell phone rang. He quickly grabbed it.

* * *

"Sakura?"

"Syaoran it's me Eriol."

"Did you find her?" he asked anxiously, hoping that she was alright and was sitting in front of Tomoyo's fireplace sipping hot chocolate.

"No. But Tomoyo and I heard a shot, and wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Ya, I'm fine. I heard it too. It came from the docks. I'm just heading there now. I'm going to go investigate it, why don't you guys head up here too."

"Will do, see you soon"

* * *

Syaoran continued running. When he reached the docks he scanned the left and the right side, looking for any sign of someone. His gaze suddenly shifted to the water, causing his breath to catch in his throat.

"no…" he whispered to himself. "it can't be"

What he saw made tears well up in his eyes and the blood in his veins run cold. He stared at the body floating face down in the water; the clear liquid oozing from it stained the lake a deep crimson. The body was unmistakably that of Sakura. He could recognize her one of a kind features anywhere. He ran forward and dived into the lake. As he swam towards her body all he could think of was how he couldn't possibly live without her, and what he wouldn't do to take it back, take it all back. He dragged her out of the water, carried her lifeless body and placed her carefully on the grass. His vision began to blur as he silently hoped that she was still alive. He leaned in closer to her, and to his relief she was still breathing, but the breaths were shallow. She began to shiver, and was losing a lot of blood. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her ice cold body. The next few minutes passed by so quickly he didn't even know how long Tomoyo and Eriol had been standing over him as he cradled Sakura's body towards him.

* * *

Tomoyo ran towards Syaoran and Sakura with tears forming in her eyes, and Eriol following close behind.

"Is she okay? What happened?" she screamed, and then stopped suddenly as she saw the pool of blood that was slowly forming around Sakura's lifeless body.

"Oh my God… She's not … she's not…" Tomoyo managed to croak out before she fell to the ground in a wave of crashing emotions. She rocked back and forth sobbing uncontrollably.

Eriol, who was currently the only one thinking straight, quickly grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911.

"Listen the paramedics are on their way" "It will be okay. I promise it will." He comfortingly told Tomoyo and Syaoran.

* * *

In a swirl of flashing lights, sirens, and panic attacks they finally arrived at the hospital. Sakura was rushed to the emergency ward and Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Eriol were ushered into a secluded and virtually empty waiting area by a concerned looking police officer.

"Now Mr. Li … is it?" asked the police officer (Syaoran nodded in acknowledgment) ... "I just have a few questions I want to ask you… in private"

"Okay…" Syaoran replied unsure.

Syaoran couldn't shake off the feeling that he knew this person from somewhere. He took one last look at the police man, but was still unable to place him. He shook off the feeling, stood up and followed the man into a small office. The office consisted of a metal desk and two metal chairs. The only difference (that Syaoran noticed) between this room and an interrogation room was the two sided mirror that seemed to be missing. The officer gestured for Syaoran to sit down, then he closed the door and sat directly across from him.

"I know this is a hard time for you Mr. Li, however there are a few things I need to ask you. This was no accident, we had a tip that Ms. Kinomoto's life was in danger, however we received this information too late I'm afraid."

"Do you have any idea who might have wanted to hurt her?"

"As far as I know she was well liked by everyone. She is the kindest, most caring person I have ever met. I have no idea why anyone would even think about hurting her, much less actually do it."

"So she has no enemies that you are aware of"

"None that I can think of…"

"I see" replied the officer who sounded thoroughly unconvinced.

"And what is your relationship with the victim?"

"Well ….."

* * *

**Meanwhile … in the emergency ward**

The team of paramedics crash through the operating room doors. The on-charge doctor rushes over, and helps them guide the gurney to the trauma room.

"What have we got?" asks the doctor.

"Gunshot wound to the chest. She's bleeding out. BP is 100 over 65, pulse is 88, no exit wound" replies an over-anxious paramedic.

"Trauma two lets go! CBC, chem.-7, cross and match. I want 5 units, B-positive, and a chest tube.

They arrive in Trauma two and things take a turn for the worst.

"Heart rate's up to 120. Chest out, put some blood… 500cc's! She's bleeding through her chest. Alright, spike a unit of B-positive." Yells the doctor

"BP is down to 70 palp ... still falling, 60 palp."

"I've got to locate the source of the bleeding."

The other doctor leans in. "We need to take out the bullet first, and I just opened her up."

"Well it won't make much of a difference if we don't stop the bleeding!"

"Wait... wait, wait. Just **WAIT**!"

"There's no time"

"Just one more second, the bullet must have hit the auxiliary artery."

"I **NEED **to get this damn bullet out!"

"Then I'll do it myself! Move out of my way." After a minute of intense concentration he manages to pull out the bullet.

"Pressure's down to 50"

"Dammit, I can't reach the artery. Open it a little wider"

"**She's in v-fib! Panels! Panels! Get your hands off now!**"

"Hold on! Almost go it ... one more second…"

"Clear **NOW**!"

"Got it, go, go, **GO**!"

* * *

**Authors Note**: Hey guys. Thanks so much for reading this. I know how you HATE to review, and you know what…. I do too. But never-the-less I still manage to find time to review. In fact I have done more than 177 (I think). Another thing …I LOVE flamers. I really do, I find that they are the best tool in helping me improve upon my work. So don't feel shy if you have a suggestion or comment to make about my work! I will try to improve upon it in that aspect, oh and I will also do my best to update at least once a week, but hopefully will be able to update more than that. It really depends on my workload, college life is quite busy. Thanks again, and hope to hear from you soon! 


	3. In the heart of you

Chapter 3: In the heart of you

**By Stephie23**

**

* * *

**

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately I do not own Card captor Sakura

* * *

_**Flash back**_

Sakura's POV

As I was walking down the street I had the strangest feeling that someone was following me. I quickly shot a glance over my shoulder. There seemed to be nothing there. With a sigh of relief I continued walking towards Syaoran's house. I decided to take a short cut and cut through the forest in the park.

**_SNAP _**

I heard a twig snap not too far from where I was. I shot another glance over my shoulder. Again there was no one there. By this time I was thoroughly freaked out, I began to jog, before finally breaking into a full sprint. I ran straight into the middle of the woods, unfortunately however, I tripped over a log and stumbled down a small hill. I quickly got up and looked around.

"Oh no" I muttered

I looked around and tried to figure out where I was. I was so lost. Which direction did I come from? They all looked the same. I started to panic, and then rummaged through my purse. "Yes!" I shouted in triumph. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Syaoran's number. It began to ring… once, twice, three times… 'Come on, come on … pick up … ' ..I slowly descended into tears.

The answering machine picked up. '… the one time he doesn't answer his phone'

"Hey Syaoran its Sakura … I was on my way to your house, and decided to take a short-cut through the woods in Penguin Park. I thought I heard someone following me, so I decided to run for it. However I got turned around in here, and can't seem to find my way out." I tried to hide the fear and absolute panic that was flowing through me. However I didn't seem to be very good at that.

Suddenly I heard footsteps nearing my position. "I think someone's coming. Syaoran please hurry I'm really scared."

I screamed in fear as I heard a branch snap really close to my current location. My cell phone beeped. The battery had died. 'Oh that's just great.' I thought sarcastically. I quickly stuffed it back into my purse and began to run in the opposite direction that the noise came from. As I ran I looked around to see if I could tell where I was but I still had no clue. 'Since when had these damn woods gotten so big?'

The sun started to fade. This was not good. Now not only was I being chased by someone or some 'thing' but I was totally lost, and soon to be in the dark.

* * *

Syaoran paced back and forth in his living room. It was like Sakura to be late, but she should have been here hours ago. He brought his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Sakura's number.

"Hello" a gruff voice replied

"Uh, hello Touya … is Sakura there by chance?"

"No, she's not. Is there anything else you want … brat?" his voice dripped with venom

"No… that's okay, thanks anyways" and with that he quickly hung up the phone.

He called Sakura's cell phone again, but got no answer. 'Sakura… where are you? I'm getting really worried.'

He decided to give Tomoyo another call, but noticed his battery was getting low on his cell phone. He chucked his cell phone against the wall, and decided to use the phone upstairs. So he ran upstairs to his bedroom and went to dial her number when he noticed he had a message on his answering machine. 'That's odd; I don't remember hearing the phone ring.'

* * *

Sakura's POV

I was so tired. I decided to take a short rest against a very large tree. At this moment I realized how dark and scary the woods get at night. I hugged my knees towards my body to keep warm, and tried to think of the bright side. Syaoran was probably on his way right now searching for me. But what was taking him so long? I looked up at the sky and sang the tune my mother had always sang for me. I don't quite know how I remembered it so vividly; after all she passed away a long time ago. I brought my knees in closer to my body as I began to cry, I rocked back and forth until I fell into an uneasy sleep.

Unknown to Sakura a shadow was getting closer and closer to her sleeping form. It walked closer and closer, spotted her and moved in. The figure stretched out its long skinny hand towards Sakura and…

* * *

Syaoran's POV

I frantically paced along my bedroom grabbing everything I thought I would need; a flashlight, a first aid kit, and a warm blanket. The last thing I grabbed was my sword. I rushed over to the phone and called Eriol.

"Hello. Tomoyo?" he answered

"No, it's Syaoran. I need help; Sakura is lost in the woods and may be in danger. Can you meet me at Penguin Park and help me find her?"

"Sakura's missing too?"

"What do you mean too?"

"Tomoyo is also missing. Her mother hasn't seen her, and I've been trying to track her down for the past 3 hours, but have had no luck."

"Maybe they are together. Meet me at Penguin Park in fifteen minutes; we can go out looking together."

"Okay. See you soon"

I tried to act as cool as I could when I talked to Eriol. I knew however he saw right through that disguise. He knew me too well, and knew how much I cared about Sakura. I loved her more than I thought I could ever love anyone. I longed to touch her once more, to tell her how much I loved her. Sure I had said it to her, but I … (his vision began to blur) … I don't know what I would ever do if I lost her. Hearing her scream was the scariest thing I have ever been through. I smashed my fist into the wall. 'I will find you sakura I WILL!"

I quickly grabbed my backpack and ran out the door to meet Eriol in the woods. I prayed to God that Sakura was still okay. 'Why didn't I think to check my phone messages' I mentally smacked myself. But this was no time for regrets. I ran faster and made my way to Penguin Park.

* * *

Eriol was standing anxiously by the edge of the woods waiting for me. His face was as white as a ghost and his flashlight was shaking madly in his right hand. We entered the woods together silently and made our way closer and closer to the heart of this god forsaken place. I pulled out my board and tried to fix a location on Sakura. The light shined straight into the middle of the woods. I put the board away and Eriol and I headed in that direction. The dry leaves and dead branches crunched loudly as we walked along, giving away our positions to passersby. However I am sure the flashlights had the same effect. I saw movement up ahead behind a giant bush, and silently pointed it out to Eriol. We walked over to the bush and flashed the light over it…

Turns out though that it was nothing more than a rabbit, with a frustrated sigh we began to walk further into the darkened woods. Besides the crunching of the ground the night was eerily silent. That is until a scream broke through the silence, an ear-piercing, deaf defining scream that made my blood run cold, a scream that could only be Sakura's.

Eriol and I ran towards the scream with a burst of strength. It seemed like it took us forever to arrive at the clearing where the scream had come from. What I saw next only brought one emotion …

* * *

**Authors Note**: Hey guys. Once again thank you for reading my story. I am so grateful. I really put my effort into making it interesting. If you have any suggestions, any at all I would love to hear them. Thanks to my readers: midnight-whisper3, dbzgtfan2004, and Mew Frost. I hope to hear lot's more from the rest of you. And if you have any questions you can e-mail me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Hope to hear from you soon!


	4. Nothing to Fear

**Chapter 4: Nothing to fear**

**By Stephie23 **

**Disclaimer:** As always I do NOT own Card Captor Sakura

**

* * *

**

**_Last Chapter:_**

Unknown to Sakura a shadow was getting closer and closer to her sleeping form. It walked closer and closer, spotted her and moved in. The figure stretched out its long skinny hand towards Sakura's body and…

* * *

**Tomoyo's POV**

'Where the hell did she go off to?' I looked up and down, but just could not find her.

The blood drained from my face as I saw Sakura's body slumped against a tree. I ran over there and frantically tried to wake her up.

* * *

**Syaoran's POV**

Eriol and I ran towards the scream with a burst of strength. It seemed like it took us forever to arrive at the clearing where the scream had come from. What I saw next only brought one emotion … relief… but that was quickly washed away when I saw the terror in Tomoyo's eyes. With a closer look I saw that Sakura was lying there unconscious.

"Sakura" I yelled, and then ran forward.

Tomoyo stood up with tears in her eyes. Eriol quickly went to her and swept her into a hug.

"Sakura" I called her name again and pulled her limp body into my arms.

"… please wake up… you just have to" my voice was barely a whisper now. Tears threatened to fall. I looked down at her and then lent over and kissed her on the lips.

"Syaoran…" I heard her whisper. My heart skipped a beat. I saw her eyes flutter open for a second before they faded back into darkness.

"Sakura!" I moved my hand and brushed the hair out of her face. She was burning up.

"Eriol we need to go NOW!" we exchanged glances and I lifted her up into my arms.

* * *

**Tomoyo's POV**

As we made our way out of the woods I thought I heard something coming from a nearby bush, but when I looked over I saw nothing.

"Must have been my imagination…" I muttered

"What was that?" Eriol asked

I stole one more glance at the bush before taking Eriol's hand and climbing the slippery hill.

-- Two eyes suddenly appeared from the bush. Although no one noticed them, the eyes saw everything that had happened that night. 'sssso close… sssso close had I come to FINALLY getting rid of her' --

* * *

**Sakura's POV**

I yawned and sat up in my bed. Hey, why are my bed sheets green? I took a closer look. Well… this isn't my room. I looked down to see Syaoran sleeping half on the edge of the bed. It looked like he had fallen asleep while sitting watch over me. But how did I get here? I don't really remember much of anything …

* * *

**Tomoyo's POV**

I was walking up the stairs towards Syaoran's bedroom. I had made some coffee for him, after all he had spent the past couple of nights watching over Sakura, taking care of her, and never leaving her side for more than a second. I opened the door and screamed.

"!"

* * *

**Sakura's POV**

Suddenly the door burst open, Syaoran went flying across the room and I jumped up to go see my friend. However I promptly crumpled to the ground.

"I'm okay" I found myself saying, but when I tried to get up I found that I could not.

Syaoran came over and gently helped me get back onto the bed.

"You still need a few more days rest Sakura." He whispered to me and then pulled the bed sheets over my body.

At this moment Tomoyo came bursting into the room, tears staining her delicate cheeks.

"Oh, I was so worried Sakura" She sobbed into my chest.

"… What… what happened?" I managed to croak out.

"Do you remember anything?" Tomoyo comfortingly asked me

"I remember running and… and darkness …" I replied "I have no clue as to how I got here, however." Tears began to fill my eyes.

Syaoran came closer to me and gave me a comforting hug. "It's okay Sakura; we are here for you now. What I want to know however is why you went running off by yourself into the woods?"

Suddenly the events of the night in question came flooding back to me.

"I was on my way to your house, but was running a little late, as usual, so I decided to take a short cut through the forest in the park. It was still light out at the time, so I thought nothing of it. However as I neared the park I felt like someone was following me, when I looked back I did not see anyone, but I could not shake the feeling. So I decided to run through the woods. As I entered the woods I heard the person following me and decided to run faster. That's when I tripped and stumbled down a hill and became disorientated." Tears began to fill my eyes once again.

"Shhh Sakura, its okay" Syaoran hugged me closer

Suddenly Tomoyo got up and began to pace the room. Her forehead scrunched down as she began to remember the events of that night.

* * *

**Tomoyo's POV**

"I was out for a quick jog before I had to go meet Eriol. That's when I saw Sakura running towards the forest. She had a look of terror in her eyes, so I quickly followed her into the forest. I began to yell out her name, and ran towards her. When I had her in sight I slowed down slightly to catch my breath, but before I knew it she had disappeared. Following Sakura's story I'm assuming that's when she tumbled down the hill."

"I was so afraid, now not only did I not know where Sakura was, but I too was lost in the woods, and had precious little hours of daylight remaining. Stupidly, I had forgotten to take my cell phone with me, so I began to frantically call out her name once more."

"What seemed like hours later I found my way to a clearing with a large tree in the middle. I was so afraid when I saw Sakura's fragile body slumped against the tree. I ran over and frantically tried to shake her awake, and that's about the time Syaoran and Eriol showed up and saved the day."

Suddenly Syaoran stood up and looked down to Tomoyo.

* * *

**Syaoran's POV**

"Eriol and I had been searching for you for hours. That's when we heard a scream and ran towards it. It turns out it had been Tomoyo's scream. When I saw your limp body crumpled against the tree… I was horrified. I thought I had lost the person who was most important to me."

At that moment my cheeks flashed a bright red. Did I just see that? Did Sakura blush as well? I coughed and then continued on with my story.

"I noticed that you had a very high fever. I picked you up and we all took you back here…"

Suddenly Eriol came through the door with toasted bagels for everyone and a giant smile on his face.

"Sakura, glad to see you're awake, bagel?" he gestured her one of the toasted bagels.

She nodded yes and gratefully took the bagel. "Wow. I'm starving!" she exclaimed

"Well you should be" replied Eriol "… after all you haven't eaten in days!"

His tone then turned serious.

* * *

**Eriol's POV**

"That night once we had gotten you here, you took a turn for the worse. I thought for a moment you might not make it. Your fever began to rise, and your body was burning up. It seemed that you had put yourself through too much. As Tomoyo was washing your body off with a damp cloth she noticed two deep bite marks. Apparently something, most likely a snake had bitten you. You are probably still feeling the effects of the snake now. Thankfully we noticed it in time, and were able to give you the antidote. "

Then I began thinking, there are no snakes anywhere near here. So how did one get into Penguin Park? And more importantly why was Sakura running in the first place? … Tomoyo chased after her _only_ after she saw Sakura initially running. I decided not to say anything however, but it really bothered me.

* * *

**Tomoyo's POV**

Noticing that Eriol was deep in thought I questioned him

"Eriol, is anything the matter?"

His head shot up, and we exchanged glances

"… Oh… sorry, no … nothing is wrong" he nervously replied.

Although I could tell he was lying I nodded my head, and let it be.

After a few minutes of awkward silence I looked over at Sakura and noticed that she had fallen asleep. Syaoran leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead, and then he stood up and gestured for the three of us to leave the room, and let her have her rest.

As we were leaving however I noticed that she had begun to shiver and mutter something. Apparently Syaoran noticed too.

"Hey guys, I'll see you later, I'm going to stay by her side. She must be having another nightmare. You can do whatever you want, Eriol you know where everything is. Hey, and thanks for helping out."

"Anytime, just let us know when she wakes up." I replied, trying, but miserably failing, to sound cheerful.

With that Syaoran went over and sat beside the bed once again. He pulled the blankets higher on Sakura's body, and then held her hand.

'awwwwww how cute!' I couldn't help but think.

As I closed the door I couldn't help but notice the intense look on Syaoran's face. 'Wow. The depth in which he cares for her is truly immeasurable.' A small grin made its way to my lips. And with that Eriol and I headed down the stairs and into Syaoran's living room.

* * *

That night an unnatural fog floated through Tomoeda. A black cloaked figure could be seen passing by Syaoran's mansion. On closer inspection one could feel the sinister atmosphere that this figure carried.

"Soon, you will be out of the way… yessssss, very soon, you shall be gone forever."

The figure's yellow eyes flashed as the low hiss of its voice faded into the night.

* * *

**Authors Note**: Hey guys. Once again thank you for reading my story. This story has a lot of hits… but not many reviews. I know you hear this repeatedly but… please review. It means so much to me. Thanks to my reviewers from last chapter: mew frost, midnight-whisper3, SmiLe of PuRe, nadeshiko blossom, and kokari. If you want a preview of the next chapter all you have to do is leave a review and I will send it over! Once again, thanks for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon!


	5. Where Evil Dwells

Chapter 5: Where Evil Dwells 

**Disclaimer: I don't and never will own CCS!**

**By Stephie23**

* * *

**_Last Chapter_**

**_Eriol's POV_**

_…… Then I began thinking, there are no snakes anywhere near here. So how did one get into Penguin Park? And more importantly why was Sakura running in the first place? … Tomoyo chased after her only after she saw Sakura initially running. I decided not to say anything however, but it really bothered me._

_

* * *

_

_That night an unnatural fog floated through Tomoeda. A black cloaked figure could be seen passing by Syaoran's mansion. On closer inspection one could feel the sinister atmosphere that this figure carried._

_"Soon, you will be out of the way… yessssss, very soon, you shall be gone forever."_

_The figure's yellow eyes flashed as the low hiss of its voice faded into the night._

* * *

His yellow eyes flickered in the darkness. His weapon flashed in the dim light of the streets.

"I will get my revenge. There is nothing you can do to stop me. I will make you suffer as you did me, a long, long time ago. Our paths will cross once more, but this time it will be me who comes out on top."

* * *

**Sakura's POV**

I woke up to find blood on my face. The small room was lit only by the lightning that shot through the night sky.

_FLASH_

I saw a body slumped in the corner of the room

The room was thrown back into _darkness_.

_FLASH_

I moved closer to the body and turned it over

_Darkness_

_FLASH_

My scream could be heard echoing through the night. It was Syaoran. Syaoran was… dead… no he couldn't be… he couldn't be dead… no … I wouldn't believe it… I wouldn't!

FLASH

I looked down to see my body covered in blood. It was Syaoran's blood. What had happened here? Who had killed him? I did not have time to answer these questions, however, because by that time I had passed out.

* * *

**Sakura's POV**

When I woke up I shot upwards and clutched my head. My heart was pounding, and I was covered in sweat. I looked around and found myself in Syaoran's room. A wave of emotions came back as I remembered last night. I frantically scanned the room for any signs of the accident. There was nothing… no blood… no body … nothing.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Suddenly the door opened.

Syaoran walked in looking worried.

Sakura jumped out of the bed and into Syaoran's arms.

Tears escaped her eyes. "I'm so happy you are okay. Oh Syaoran…" Sakura whispered into his ear.

"Sakura … Sakura are you okay?"

…

She was unable to find the words … to tell him what she had seen. Thoughts began to run through her head. If it hadn't happened was it just a nightmare? Or was it a foretelling dream? There had to be a reason why she had seen what she had …

He stood there. Not knowing what to do … or what to say. He just comforted her. Hugged her closer to his body, God she felt so good there. It was amazing how perfectly she fit into his arms.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Images of his dead body rushed through her head. She pushed him away. She stared at the floor, she couldn't look up into his eyes … she couldn't look into those deep amber orbs … she knew if she did she would tell him everything. And that was the last thing she wanted to do. She didn't want to worry him.

"Sakura, are you sure your okay?"

"Ya" She looked up and gave him a weak smile "… maybe I'm just a little tired. I should probably head home soon though."

"Oh. Your father called the other day. Touya and he had to go out of town for a while. He asked me if it was okay if you stayed here. I agreed, since I know you don't like to be alone. Oh and Tomoyo said that Kero can stay at her house."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." This time she gave him a real smile. She hugged him and then stood on her toes and gave him a light peck on the cheek. Blushing she reluctantly moved away.

Syaoran who had now turned a beet red colour, decided to change the subject. Well you must be starving.

**

* * *

**

**A week later**

Sakura abruptly sat up in her bed for the 7th night in a row. She had had the same dream … it plagued her mind. All she could do was think about it. She had bags under her eyes, and was unable to get a good nights rest. But being the same old Sakura she refused to worry Syaoran.

Syaoran came bounding into her room … gasping for breath he looked around the room, ready to attack anything that was there.

"Sakura… are you okay?" he managed to choke out in between breaths

"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. It was just another dream."

"Nightmare, more like it, are you sure you don't want to talk about it? You know you can talk about anything with me." The concern in his eyes made a rush of guilt flow over her.

"No… no… I'm fine. Thanks though. Actually I think I'm going to take a walk outside." She managed to choke out.

"It's awefully late though. I don't think you should go out alone."

"It's FINE. Just… just leave me alone. I need some time to think. Please!" the pleading look in her eyes made him cave in.

"Fine, but at least leave your cell phone on … in case of an emergency." She nodded her head in agreement and grabbed her coat.

He walked her to the door and made a reach for her arm.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come." He pleaded.

"Syaoran! I told you I just need some time to think. Just don't follow me!" She gave him a small glare, but after she turned around and began to leave her glare faded, and was replaced by streaming tears.

'I just need to think about what this means … what all of this means. I don't know what I would do without you Syaoran. I can't even think about it… but lying to you … it's eating me up inside. I just wish I never had that dream … I just wish we could be happy.' She thought to herself before breaking out into a run.

In a nearby bush yellow eyes gleamed with pure excitement.

"yesssss… I finally have my chancccce to get you. Tonight will be your lasssssst, my cherry blossom, Xiao-Lang can't protect you now."

* * *

**30 minutes later**

– **Sakura's POV –**

I looked around.

sigh

I still hadn't figured out what the dream meant, and now it was beginning to rain. 'Could my luck get any better?' I sarcastically thought.

I started back to Syaoran's house. Wow, I sure walked a long way. I heard something move behind me. I spun around. Guess it was just my imagination. I quickened my pace. Then I felt a shadow move behind me. I saw a hooded figure with … were those yellow eyes? …

I screamed and ran forward.

As I was running I rummaged through my purse trying to find my cell phone. I finally found it and began to dial Syaoran's number, but the phone slipped and hit the hard pavement. I looked back at it, and then at the advancing figure behind me. Without the time to grab it I was forced to leave it behind.

The cloaked figured laughed in triumph as it began to catch up to me. I screamed again and ran forwards.

* * *

The hair on Syaoran's neck stood up. Something was wrong. He picked up his phone and dialed Sakura's cell. It rang, and rang, and rang …

Something was definitely wrong. He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door.

* * *

**Authors Note**: Hey guys. Thanks to all my reviewers: Mew Frost, midnightwhisper3, a nadeshiko blossom, kokari, andesoterica.

Thanks so much for reading my story. I know it's not the best, but as my first I'm quite pleased with it. Can you believe it I've had 433 hits on my story! I am **SO** happy! Anyways I am so sorry for taking so long to update. I've had midterms … and although they aren't done I thought you all deserved a new chapter!As a special treat I will send all reviewers a preview of the next chapter!Once again, thanks for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon! Oh and Happy Halloween!


	6. Sight Unseen

**Chapter 6: Sight Unseen**

**Disclaimer: CCS … I don't own you!**

**By Stephie23**

* * *

Brief Authors Note: To address a concern that was brought up in one of the reviews. The flashback that takes place starting in chapter 3 is something that happened before the events in chapter 1. Sorry if this confused some of you. So once again, they are separate events. It should all make a bit more sense after this chapter! If you have any more questions feel free to e-mail me about them.

* * *

**_Last Chapter_**:

_**Sakura's POV**_

_I woke up to find blood on my face. The small room was lit only by the lightning that shot through the night sky. _

_FLASH_

_I saw a body slumped in the corner of the room_

_The room was thrown back into darkness._

_FLASH_

_I moved closer to the body and turned it over_

_Darkness_

_FLASH_

_My scream could be heard echoing through the night. It was Syaoran. Syaoran was… dead… no he couldn't be… he couldn't be dead… no … I wouldn't believe it… I wouldn't!_

_FLASH_

_I looked down to see my body covered in blood. It was Syaoran's blood. What had happened here? Who had killed him? I did not have time to answer these questions, however, because by that time I had passed out._

* * *

– _**Sakura's POV –**_

_I still hadn't figured out what the dream meant, and now it was beginning to rain. 'Could my luck get any better?' I sarcastically thought._

_I felt a shadow move behind me. I saw a hooded figure with … were those yellow eyes? …_

_I screamed and ran forward. _

* * *

_The hair on Syaoran's neck stood up. Something was wrong. He picked up his phone and dialed Sakura's cell. It rang, and rang, and rang … _

_Something was definitely wrong. He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door._

* * *

_**End Flashback **_

" … And that's when I ran out after her" replied an apprehensive Syaoran.

"I see replied the police officer. So you have no idea as to who may have been chasing after her." As he asked this he turned to face the door

"no…" replied Syaoran warily

The officers eyes glowed red and a smirk crossed his face. It faded as quickly as it had come and he turned back around to face Syaoran.

"None what-so-ever?" he pushed harder

"No!"

"I see." replied the officer with what Syaoran though sounded like a very unconvinced tone

"Now Mr. Li I know you may want to do something about this …"

"Damn right I do" Syaoran interrupted standing and slamming his fists down on the table "when I find out who did this I will personally make sure they pay!"

"Mr. Li please sit back down" the officer replied firmly. "Now as I was saying, although you may want to do something about this I suggest you let the police handle it. I personally don't want to see any more blood on our streets."

"Now I trust you will take my advice?" asked the police officer

In response Syaoran gave him an icy glare.

"You may go…" the officer waved him off with a frustrated sigh

As soon as Syaoran left a wide grin spread across his face … "the little wolf still has no clue … it will only be a matter of time until he gets what's coming to him …"

* * *

In the waiting room

'There was something about that officer … something that just doesn't sit right … I didn't pick up a magical sense from him… maybe… maybe it was just my imagination' Eriol thought to himself

Noticing Eriol deep in thought she looked at him.

"Is there something wrong?" she inquired

"No…" then seeing the look in her eyes he caved "I just got a bad feeling from that guy, but it's probably nothing to be concerned about"

"okay" she smiled up at him, then snuggled closer "do you … do you think Sakura will be okay?" her voice was shaky and her eyes filled with tears

"Sakura is a strong person, I know she will…" although doubts flooded his mind he would never let them show, he had to be strong for Tomoyo

As Syaoran walked into the waiting room the two of them stood up. Tomoyo, Syaoran noticed, had red puffy eyes and was shaking slightly. Eriol on the other hand had a really serious look, as if he was deep in thought. He wasn't quite sure which bothered him more; both were uncharacteristic of his friends. Tomoyo was always one to look on the bright side, and Eriol, well besides his devilish grin, he never showed much emotion, and never ever showed anyone that he was concerned, or deep in thought for that matter.

"Syaoran…" Tomoyo cried, and then ran into his arms

"Tomoyo" he comforted his friend

She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Does the officer know anything?"

"No. He's just pulling at false leads. He's going to be completely useless, he did tell me to keep out of all of this though."

"Are you going to?" Eriol inquired

"Of course not! I'm going to find whoever did this, and when I do I will kill them." replied a furious Syaoran.

Before Eriol could protest the doctor walked in.

* * *

Two yellow eyes flickered in a dark empty room that contained nothing except a small beam of light in the middle.

"Did you do it?" a mysterious voice spoke, the only thing that could be seen were two red gleaming eyes.

"Yessssss … I managed to get her" the man with yellow eyes hissed.

"Xiao-Lang hasn't the slightest clue who did it, or even why. So she's dead then"

"I pressssume ssssso"

The figures red eyes narrowed. "What do you mean presume? I thought you said you did it!"

The yellow eyed figure cowered in fear before stepping into the small beam of light. A woman with yellow eyes and midnight black hair was revealed. "Sssssory massster. I shot her, but Xiao-Lang pulled her from the lake. Ssssshe was russssshed to the hossspital. I doubt sssshe made it though."

"Dammit. Can't you do anything right. Go make sure she is really dead. Bring me her star key so I know you did the job this time. **No** excuses now **GO**!"

"Yessss massster… sorry massster." He quickly made his way back towards the hospital.

"Xiao-Lang, I **WILL** have my revenge. You will lose the person who is most important to you, as did I."

* * *

**Authors Note**: Sorry about the short chapter. I am really busy with midterms, and what-not. I have 2 assignments due this week … and two exams… it really builds up. Plus I wanted to leave you with a cliffhanger, since I didn't really do that last chapter. I'd also like to thank all of my beloved reviewers: Baby Penguin, Mew Frost, Cherry Love Angel, midnightwhisper3, and shaaarona. Thanks soooo much guys!


	7. The Devil you Know

**Chapter 7: The Devil You Know**

**Disclaimer: CCS … I don't own you!**

**By Stephie23**

* * *

Authors Note: To address a concern in one of the reviews. The person with the yellow eyes is in fact a woman, as seen in the last chapter. The person with the red eyes is unknown … but (if you were paying attention) the 'police officer' had red eyes *hint hint* … so you already know their gender!

* * *

**_Last Chapter_**

_Two yellow eyes flickered in a dark empty room that contained nothing except a small beam of light in the middle._

_The yellow eyed figure cowered in fear before stepping into the small beam of light. A woman with yellow eyes and midnight black hair was revealed. "Sssssory massster. I shot her, but Xiao-Lang pulled her from the lake. Ssssshe was russssshed to the hossspital. I doubt sssshe made it though."_

"_Dammit. Can't you do anything right. Go make sure she is really dead. Bring me her star key so I know you did the job this time. **No** excuses now **GO**!"_

"_Yessss massster… sorry massster." She quickly made her way back towards the hospital._

"_Xiao-Lang, I **WILL** have my revenge. You will lose the person who is most important to you, as did I." his red eyes gleamed in fury_

* * *

**The Hospital Waiting Room**

A very relieved Syaoran, Tomoyo and Eriol walked towards the room Sakura was resting in. The doctor had informed them that she would be fine, and just needed to stay for a couple more days for observation purposes.

* * *

**Syaoran's POV**

After the news that the doctor had given us, a huge weight was lifted off of my heart. I couldn't wait to see her. To tell her how much I loved her, and hold her in my arms once more. As we entered her room my breath caught in my throat and tears began to well up in my eyes. 'No' I told myself, I had to be strong, I had to … for Sakura.

Her fragile body was pale white and she was hooked to all sorts of machinery. I slowly approached her and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.

Ignoring the "Kawaii" squeal that came from behind me I bent back over her body again.

"Sakura … Sakura are you awake" I lightly whispered into her ear.

Her eyes fluttered lightly, and her hand slowly made its way over to mine. I couldn't help but smile. She was really going to be okay. Her eyes fluttered again, but stayed open this time. She looked up at me and her eyes watered.

"Oh Syaoran" she whispered

"It's okay …" I soothed

It was so hard to hold in the tears that were threatening to fall, threatening to overcome my control.

"I will get whoever did this! Don't worry Sakura; I won't let them hurt you again."

"No Syaoran" she whispered "I don't want you getting hurt…"

"Sakura" I interrupted "This can't go unanswered. Someone is after you and they won't stop until you are dead." Tears freely flowed now, I had lost all control. With no power to hold back my emotions any longer I started to turn away from her, only to be pulled back into a tight embrace.

"Syaoran ple…" she began before slipping back into unconsciousness

"Sakura" I shouted

Suddenly a doctor walked in. She had a tall slim body and her long black hair was pulled into a bun. She had a strict air about her.

"I'm sorry, but Sa… my patient needs her rest. You can all come back tomorrow and visit her if you'd like"

I nodded and with one last glance towards Sakura I let Eriol and Tomoyo lead me away.

* * *

**In Sakura's Room**

The woman gave a small smile as she saw the group leave. She walked over and turned off the lights.

'Finally I can finish this' she thought

As she walked over to Sakura she pulled her hair out of the bun and shook it free. Then she ripped off the white lab coat and threw it to the ground in a heap. She pulled a large curved knife out of her boot and advanced on Sakura.

* * *

**Back in the hallway**

"I don't like leaving her alone" replied an anxious Syaoran

"I know, but she'll be fine. Hospitals are secure after all." Countered Eriol

"Hey, if it makes you feel better we can stay here overnight" Tomoyo suggested

"Really?" Syaoran pleaded more than asked

"That's okay with me" responded Eriol

Just then Syaoran noticed he had forgotten his jacket in Sakura's room.

"Hey guys, I need to go back, I forgot my jacket in her room."

"Alright we'll meet you in the lobby then … it's at the end of this hallway" responded Tomoyo

"Okay. I'll meet you guys there" Syaoran shouted as he turned and walked back to Sakura's room.

* * *

**Sakura's Room**

"Finally I will finish this" whispered the doctor as she advanced on Sakura's position and raised her knife, ready to strike.

Suddenly Syaoran walked into the room. She turned around and her yellow eyes flashed in the dark, they were filled with annoyance.

"Who's there?" questioned Syaoran

Before he could turn the light on the woman attacked him, her yellow eyes flashed in anger and her long black hair flew madly behind her. Since she could see in the dark she had a clear advantage.

Syaoran barely avoided her initial attack before he was forced to block several more. He rolled dodging her last blow and flipped into a proper fighting stance. She advanced on him and swung her knife towards his right arm. He easily dodged it and looked around the darkened room for a weapon of some kind, anything that he could use to defend himself and fight back. The only light he could go by was the thin beam from the hallway.

While distracted he didn't notice her advance on him again. She took this opportunity to slash his right arm and attempted to stab him in the back. He tried to avoid it, but she still managed to stab it through his shoulder blade. The overwhelming pain began to take over him as he stumbled away.

She smiled and advanced on him once more. He quickly reached over and pulled out the blade with a scream of pain. The blood gushed down his arm, and the blinding pain began to make him stumble. He made his way over to Sakura in a last attempt to protect her, but a few feet short of her bed he collapsed and darkness overtook him.

* * *

**Authors Note**: Firstly I'd like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers: Kawaii Syaoran and Sakura, Shaaarona, Ashieyu-san, and midnight-whisper3. Thanks soooo much guys! You make it all worthwhile!

Sorry about the crappy chapter, and the cliffhanger. I just thought I was forcing it too much so I decided to stop. Hopefully you don't hate this chapter too much!

A special thank you to: a nadeshiko blossom, Ashieyu-san, sabashiikage, and SmiLe of PuRe. For allowing me the privilege of being on your favourites list! I would also like to thank xAxsxHxlxExyx, a nadeshiko blossom, Ashieyu-san, kokari, mew frost, and Shaaarona for adding my story to your alerts list! Thanks again everybody!


	8. In the Presence of Mine Enemies

**Chapter 8: In the presence of mine enemies**

**Disclaimer: CCS … I don't own you!**

**By Stephie23**

* * *

Authors Note: I'd like to thank all of my reviewers … and for your reading pleasure you get to find out the name of one of the bad guys! YAY! Enjoy! PS don't forget to look for hints and clues that are placed in all of my chapters!

* * *

_**Last Chapter**: _

_Suddenly a doctor walked in. She had a tall slim body and her long black hair was pulled into a bun. She had a strict air about her._

"_I'm sorry, but Sa… my patient needs her rest. You can all come back tomorrow and visit her if you'd like"_

_I nodded and with one last glance towards Sakura I let a very disappointed Eriol and Tomoyo lead me away. (Syaoran)_

* * *

_She pulled a large curved knife out of her boot and advanced on Sakura. (The 'doctor')_

* * *

"_Hey guys, I need to go back, I forgot my jacket in her room." (Syaoran)_

* * *

_**Sakura's room**_

_While distracted he didn't notice her advance on him again. She took this opportunity to slash his right arm and attempted to stab him in the back. He tried to avoid it, but she still managed to stab it through his shoulder blade. The overwhelming pain began to take over him as he stumbled away. He made his way over to Sakura in a last attempt to protect her, but a few feet short of her bed he collapsed and darkness overtook him. _

* * *

**In the waiting room**

"Eriol is something the matter?" Tomoyo asked, quite concerned

"I sense something." He glanced down the hallway and towards Sakura's room

"What is it!?" Tomoyo cried

"Hurry" Eriol grabbed her hand and they ran down the hallway

When they arrived outside Sakura's room Tomoyo let out a cry of concern and leaned onto Eriol for support. Syaoran was lying on the floor with a pool of blood seeping out from under him, and a woman with dark black hair, and bright yellow eyes was advancing on Sakura's position once again.

"Get away from her" Tomoyo shouted and rushed forward

Before she got to Sakura she was knocked into the corner by a very pissed woman. As the woman stepped towards the doorway and into the beam of light Eriol let out a gasp.

"Kumiko…"

"Yes it's me, and it's time for your friend here to die" spoke the woman

"How … how did you… I killed you" questioned a very confused Eriol

"No, you thought you did. But you failed. Kur… my Master saved me, and for that I am eternally grateful to him"

"You're working for someone? Who?" Eriol angrily shouted as he summoned forth his staff and slowly began to advance on Kumiko

"That my dear Eriol is information that I simply cannot give you." she began as she readied herself for Eriol's attack "now … Eriol… do you honestly think you can beat me? You barely survived the last time" she cockily replied

"I've done much training since then" Eriol snarled

"As have I" Kumiko countered and leapt forward with her long curved knife ready to strike

Eriol blocked the attack and swung his staff at her legs. She leapt into the air dodging the attack and kicked Eriol down. He did a summersault and came at her again, but she dodged the attack. They were pretty evenly matched.

"Tomoyo" Eriol shouted "Get Sakura out of here"

Tomoyo nodded in understanding and began picking up her friend

"Oh no you don't" snarled Kumiko

She snapped her fingers and 3 ninjas came out of the shadows. They surrounded Tomoyo and then grabbed and bound her arms. One of the ninja's held Tomoyo, another grabbed an unconscious Sakura and the third picked up a limp Syaoran.

The ninja holding Tomoyo summoned a portal and the other two ninjas walked through it carrying their hostages.

"NO!" screamed Tomoyo as she was being dragged towards the portal by the last remaining ninja

"Tomoyo" Eriol screamed as he tried to make his way over to her. Kumiko however wouldn't let that happen.

"I don't think so Eriol my dear … tisk tisk …" Kumiko laughed as she struck her distracted opponent's staff away.

Eriol watched in horror as the love of his life was dragged through the portal.

"awww… and now Eriol you have lost **everyone** you care for… isn't that a shame" she teased him "you have failed once again …"

Anger began to overtake him and he ran forward in an attempt to punch her, but she easily dodged it and spun around kicking him into the opposing wall. His body slid down the wall as he began to lose consciousness.

"Goodbye for now Eriol, you know where to find me" Kumiko mocked before she ran over and jumped into the shrinking portal.

"You won't get away" shouted Eriol, and as he got a new wave of strength, he stood up and ran towards the portal…

* * *

The three ninjas stood to the right of a beam of light in a seemingly empty room. On closer inspection the room had a large throne like chair at the front and the walls seemed to be alive. In the chair sat a very well built man with blood red eyes that seemed to glow in the darkened room. The three hostages lay sprawled out on the floor, Tomoyo had fainted in the travel and Syaoran and Sakura had yet to wake up.

Suddenly a portal appeared in the middle of the room and Kumiko was thrown through it.

She stood up and dusted herself off 'still need to perfect portal travel' she thought sardonically as she turned to face the front of the room

**

* * *

**

**AN**: When traveling through a portal you must think of the exact spot you want to go, although the portal can only go to the predetermined place (in this case the location of the bad guys' hideout) it will take you wherever you picture in that place, whether it is the attic or the dungeons. In the case of hostages the one with the most (remaining) magical power decides where they will end up

* * *

"Ssssorry master." Kumiko replied while bending down towards the floor she stood up and continued "although I have not yet killed Sakura I did manage to capture her and two other prisoners"

"Well done … for once" the man replied his mouth twisted up into a sly grin 'this may just work out better than I had planned'

"Do you want me to kill Sakura now?" she asked

"No, no … I have a much better use for her now" an evil grin now consumed his features "Chain the three prisoners in the dungeon and have a guard posted outside of the cell. When they awaken tell me. That is when the real pain shall begin for our dear Xiao-Lang" then he burst into maniacal laughter before ushering everyone out of the room.

'I don't understand why we can't just kill her now' Kumiko bitterly thought as she led the group out of the room

* * *

**3 Hours later**

Syaoran woke up and looked around his surroundings. The room was still a little fuzzy and he had a head-splitting migraine, but his surrounding finally began to come into focus. Then the events of the past couple of days began to sink in. Suddenly a sharp pain struck his shoulder. As he went to rub it, he found that he was unable to. He looked up and found that his wrists were chained above his head.

"Syaoran" someone to his left whispered to him

"Tomoyo" he happily answered back as he looked to his left "Are you okay? What happened? Where are we? Where are Sakura and Eriol? Who did this?..."

"Calm down" interrupted a frantic Tomoyo "I'm fine except for being chained to a wall… in what can only be described as a dungeon. Sakura is passed out over there to your right"

Syaoran looked to his right and sighed as temporary relief swept over him. He saw Sakura slumped against the wall with her arms suspended above her head, much as his were. How he wanted to sweep her into his arms and comfort her, but right now he could do neither since the chains simply would not budge.

"As for Eriol" Tomoyo continued, now tears began to fill her amethyst eyes and cascade down her delicate cheeks, " … as for Eriol… well I'm not quite sure … last time I saw him he was defending me and fighting against some woman who he seemed to know…"

"What!" exclaimed Syaoran "he knew her? Was it the same woman who I fought with, the one with yellow eyes?"

"I think so…" "Eriol said her name was… Kumiko"

"Kumiko … I don't think I've heard that name before … not that I remember anyways…" at this Syaoran began to ponder where Eriol could have known her from

"Syaoran" Tomoyo whispered once again

"Yes?"

"Are we going to be okay?"

"I know we will, if I can get out of these chains we can begin to form an escape plan" as he tugged at the chains pain suddenly shot through his shoulder

He winced as blood began to drip down his arm.

"Syaoran ..." Tomoyo whispered in a very concerned tone "are you okay? … Don't do that again, you're just going to make your wound worse" she scolded

Before Syaoran could object another voice broke through the silent dungeon

"Syao…. Syaoran…" Sakura groggily replied

Her vision was blurry at best and all of the colours of the room seemed to blend together. She looked over to where Syaoran was and saw a fuzzy blur looking at her.

"… it's really hot in here" she managed to choke out as the room began to fade again "Sakura" two voices called out before her world went black and her body fell limp against the cold stone once more.

"**Sakura**" Tomoyo and Syaoran yelled in unison

"Can you get to her? Is she okay" Tomoyo frantically asked Syaoran

"Not unless I get out of these chains. I think she has a fever, she seems to be really pale. Damn. I need to get to her."

"Syaoran" Tomoyo pointed out shakily

"What is it?"

"Sakura… she… her… blood"

Syaoran looked back over to Sakura and gasped. Her clothes were beginning to turn red.

"Her wound must have reopened" Syaoran yelled and began to struggle with his chains once more

"Syaoran don't … you'll hurt yourself" screamed Tomoyo

* * *

"Have they awoken yet?" replied the man, his red eyes gleaming with anticipation

"All but Sakura, sssshe seems to fade in and out" Kumiko replied

"I see. I wish to wait no longer. Lead me to them"

"Yes master." Kumiko bowed and then led him towards the dungeon.

Evil music began to float through the air as if by magic, perhaps foreshadowing the doom to come for our heroes, or perhaps it was something else altogether.

* * *

**Authors Note**: Sorry about taking so long to update. Truth is most of it was written by the 7th but then it would have ended with the cliffy of Eriol … and it was really short, so I decided to be nice and make it longer. Oh and don't kill me… hehe … 3 cliffies in one chapter. That's like a new record.

Firstly I'd like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers: Shaaarona, midnight-whisper3, BabyPenguin, Ashieyu-san, Kokari, and Mew Frost. You guys give me the will to continue to write! Thanks so much guys!

A **VERY** special thank you goes out to: midnight-whisper3, a nadeshiko blossom, Ashieyu-san, and esoterica for allowing me the pleasure of being on your favourite authors list. I'd also like to thank midnight-whisper3, Ashieyu-san, and BabyPenguin for adding me to your author alert list as well! Thanks so much, you guys are the BEST! Additionally I would like to thank MystiKAI-ElUzIoNs for adding my story to your favourites list. I really appreciate it!

OMG I'm so happy over 1,278 hits to my story… too bad the thing got reset. Oh well! Thanks again **EVERYONE!** Ja ne


	9. The Escape

**Chapter 9: The Escape**

**Disclaimer: CCS … Alas I do not own you**

**By Stephie23**

* * *

**Authors Note**: Sorry for not updating in so long, but I've been swamped with school work. I just finished this stupid assignment that was worth 25 percent of my mark, so I figured I'd update for you guys. Oh and another thing about portals is that you can only create one to a place that you've been before!

* * *

_**Last Chapter**: _

_"Tomoyo" Eriol shouted "Get Sakura out of here"_

_Tomoyo nodded in understanding and began picking up her friend_

_"Oh no you don't" snarled Kumiko_

_She snapped her fingers and 3 ninjas came out of the shadows. They surrounded Tomoyo and then grabbed and bound her arms. One of the ninja's held Tomoyo, another grabbed an unconscious Sakura and the third picked up a limp Syaoran._

_The ninja holding Tomoyo summoned a portal and the other two ninjas walked through it carrying their hostages._

_Eriol watched in horror as the love of his life was dragged through the portal._

_"… and now Eriol you have lost **everyone** you care for… isn't that a shame" she teased him "Goodbye for now, you know where to find me" Kumiko mocked before she ran over and jumped into the shrinking portal._

_"You won't get away" shouted Eriol, and as he got a new wave of strength, he stood up and ran towards the portal…_

* * *

_"Ssssorry master." Kumiko replied while bending down towards the floor she stood up and continued "although I have not yet killed Sakura I did manage to capture her and two other prisoners" _

_"Well done … for once" the man replied his mouth twisted up into a sly grin 'this may just work out better than I had planned'_

_"Do you want me to kill Sakura now?" she asked_

_"No, no … I have a much better use for her now" an evil grin now consumed his features "Chain the three prisoners in the dungeon and have a guard posted outside of the cell. When they awaken tell me. That is when the real pain shall begin for our dear Xiao-Lang" he then burst into maniacal laughter before ushering everyone out of the room._

_'I don't understand why we can't just kill her now' Kumiko bitterly thought as she led the group out of the room_

* * *

_"Can you get to her? Is she okay" Tomoyo frantically asked Syaoran _

_"Not unless I get out of these chains. I think she has a fever; she seems to be really pale. Damn. I need to get to her."_

_"Syaoran" Tomoyo pointed out shakily_

_"What is it?"_

_"Sakura… she… her… blood"_

_Syaoran looked back over to Sakura and gasped. Her clothes were beginning to turn red._

_"Her wound must have reopened" Syaoran yelled and began to struggle with his chains once more_

_"Syaoran don't … you'll hurt yourself" screamed Tomoyo_

* * *

_"Have they awoken yet?" replied the man, his red eyes gleaming with anticipation _

_"All but Sakura, sssshe seems to fade in and out" Kumiko replied_

_"I see. I wish to wait no longer. Lead me to them"_

_"Yes master." Kumiko bowed and then led him towards the dungeon._

_Evil music began to float through the air as if by magic, perhaps foreshadowing the doom to come for our heroes, or perhaps it was something else altogether._

* * *

Beads of sweat began to slowly creep down Syaoran's face as he tried to escape the chains that bound him to the wall. The chain was bound fairly low on the wall, low enough to allow the prisoners to sit. The chains themselves however were too short to go very far, much less allow them to stand up.

Suddenly footsteps and muffled voices were heard outside the cell. Syaoran's attention shifted to the door, and his facial features tightened in anger as well as anticipation.

"Syaoran… what do you think they want" Tomoyo whispered to him.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling it won't be good"

The Cell door creaked as it slid open and a cloaked figure, followed by Kumiko and the three ninja's from before, walked in.

As the cloaked figure walked closer to the prisoners Syaoran tensed. He had felt this aura before. He couldn't place it… but somehow he knew this person.

"Xiao-Lang… so we meet again…" his deep voice reverberated through the cell and sent shivers down Syaoran's spine. Tomoyo just quivered as she leaned against the wall looking back and forth between Syaoran and the figure.

The voice played over and over in his mind until realization finally dawned upon him. As the figure began to lower his hood Syaoran yelled out his name with venom and pure hatred.

* * *

Eriol looked at his surroundings. He was currently hiding behind a _statue_ in the main hall. The statue was of a rather large man who resembled a boar. He was holding a large metal shield with a golden inscription written across the front of it. His sword was pointed in the air and he looked like he had been frozen in time as he was shouting a battle cry.

'I need to figure out a plan to get to them' he thought breaking his gaze away from the statue.

Suddenly music began to float through the air. Eriol looked around. He had heard this music before but he just couldn't place it. After a couple of minutes he decided to deal with the matter at hand first and give the music more thought later.

What Eriol didn't realize though was that this could mean only one thing. Only once had this music been heard before and the devastation that followed it was almost unimaginable. He also failed to notice that as the music played the inscription on the statue began to glow.

He looked around him and then pulled out his staff once more. He began to cast a spell that would freeze everyone in place for a short amount of time, just enough to allow him to get to the dungeons and find Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Sakura. It was a lengthy spell, but was well worth it. It would make getting to the dungeons an easy task. Getting out however would not be so easy.

* * *

"KURODA!" shouted a furious and somewhat frightened Syaoran … "How… how…"

"…is it possible that I'm still alive?" he interrupted "Well… you see, after that little assassination attempt you so kindly carried out, I was badly injured, but still very much alive. At first I went day by day just trying to stay alive. Eventually I began to make my way back to power. I was given a second chance, and I refused to waste it. In fact I owe you a great deal of gratitude. I am much stronger now than I ever was before."

"What do you want with me?" Syaoran spat back

"… not so much you as Saku..."

"YOU BASTARD! I won't let you touch her." As Syaoran said this he sprang off the wall with all his might in an attempt to break free of his bindings and strangle Kuroda.

"It is no use Xiao-Lang. Those chains have been bound by magic. You cannot simply break through them with physical force." Then he broke out into laughter, laughter so cold and so chilling that it sent shivers down each and everyone's spine, friend and foe alike.

Exhausted from all of the energy he had spent trying to break free Syaoran slumped back against the wall. Tomoyo who had been too shocked to say anything looked from Syaoran to Kuroda once more before she spoke up.

"… what do you want with Sakura? What has she ever done to you? Can't you see she is hurt? Let us go so we can take care of her." Tomoyo said somewhat sternly

"You sure are brave little girl." Kuroda laughed. "She has done nothing, the only one who has done something to me is Syaoran, and for that he must pay. As for Sakura… she will not be left here to die. I have a much better use for her." With that he snapped his fingers releasing the chains that held Sakura and her limp body fell to the ground. With a wave of his hand she was transported away, and there was no telling where he had taken her or why.

"NO!" shouted Tomoyo and Syaoran together

"Where are you taking her?" screamed Tomoyo in fear

"Give her back" shouted Syaoran who's blood began to boil.

"She is safe. Do not worry." Kuroda laughed and with that he left the cell with his followers close behind.

"NOOOOOOOOOO" Tomoyo screamed once more as the cell door closed and she collapsed to the ground.

The only thing left was the pool of blood and the empty chains that minutes ago held her fragile body.

"Sakura…" Syaoran collapsed depression overwhelming him.

'I WILL get her back! I will NOT allow him to take away the only person who has ever really meant anything to me, the person whom I love more than anything else in this world, the person who… who… holds my heart' thought Syaoran as he choked back the tears that were beginning to flow down his face.

* * *

As Eriol cast the spell, time seemed to stand still. He looked around to make sure that the spell had in fact worked. Everyone seemed to be frozen on the spot. After double checking that no one was moving he carefully made his way down towards the dungeons.

What he saw shocked him. Emerging from the dungeons was a man whom he thought was dead, a dangerous enemy and a powerful dark wizard. Kuroda. The man he saw Syaoran slaughter 5 years ago, the man that had almost killed him, the very man who threatened to destroy the world.

No matter how much he wanted to reach out and kill him right now, he knew that he didn't have enough magical power to even scratch him. He also knew that Kuroda would be aware that his spell had been cast and would go right back down to the dungeons as soon as the spell wore off. So he had no time to lose.

Wanting to waste no more time he quickly, if not a little reluctantly, made his way down to where he assumed his three companions were being held hostage.

* * *

"Syaoran… Syaoran … SYAORAN" Tomoyo yelled …

Finally noticing that Tomoyo was trying to get his attention he looked up. His eyes were bloodshot from crying, as were hers.

"Someone's coming" she whispered to him

Syaoran sat up fully now. He was on his guard. Although he couldn't do anything because of the chains he wasn't just going to sit still. He needed to get the upper hand; he needed to save Sakura before any more harm could come to her. He needed to…

He never got to finish that thought though because the cell door swung open and the last person he ever expected came in.

"Err…Eriol…" Tomoyo's voice came out soft and shaky. "Is it really you? …"

Eriol nodded his head then looked from Syaoran to Tomoyo and then to the pool of blood and empty chains that had held Sakura.

His eyes darted back to the gate. He swiftly closed it and then performed a difficult spell to release Tomoyo and Syaoran from their bindings.

"Where's Sakura?" he asked hurriedly as he helped Tomoyo stand "… we don't have much time"

Tomoyo jumped up and hugged him before moving away and looking into his eyes, tears filling her own.

Syaoran stood up and rubbed his shoulder. He couldn't move his arm. 'Damn. This will be a major disadvantage' he bitterly though

"He took her. Kuroda … he took her."

"WHAT!" yelled Eriol "do you know where, was she ok?"

"… she was hurt… when he took her…we don't know where" cried Tomoyo

"We have to go get her." Said Syaoran

"There's no time. We can come back for her. The spell won't hold out much longer and Kuroda will be on his way down here!" Eriol almost shouted.

Although he didn't want to leave Sakura behind and normally would never have even thought such a thing, much less actually suggested it; he knew that's what had to be done.

Syaoran knew deep down that's what needed to be done too. He however refused to leave her. He just couldn't.

Eriol began summoning a portal that led back to Tomoeda, his house to be specific.

"Eriol. We can't leave! We just can't … not without Sakura" Tomoyo shouted

"You guys go on without me. I'm going to go find Sakura." Syaoran said as he began to leave.

**BAM**

Before Eriol even had a chance to object the cell door slammed open and Kuroda stood there with a scowl on his face. Then it turned into a smirk and he began to laugh.

"Eriol. Why it's so nice of you to join us. Nice spell you did there. I'm sure you know how little remaining energy you have."

"I am quite aware of the energy requirements for all of my spells thank you." Eriol spat back

"Eriol you didn't…" Syaoran started but was cut off

"It was necessary." He stated as he finished forming the portal.

Kuroda's eyes flickered towards the portal. Another grin spread across his face.

"So you're just going to leave Sakura behind then." He laughed "What great friends you are… especially you Syaoran, although I should have expected no less."

"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about!" Syaoran shouted back "Where is Sakura? What have you done with her? If you've hurt her I swear I will kill you."

Kuroda broke into laughter once more. "Oh really? There's only one problem with that."

"Oh and what's that?" Syaoran said as his temper began to rise once more

"This…" he shouted and with a snap of his fingers the three ninja's appeared between Syaoran and him.

"How sad, you get others to do your dirty work. Is it because you're lazy or just incompetent" Syaoran said with a smirk

The ninja's stepped forward and took a fighting stance waiting for Syaoran to make the first move.

Syaoran quickly took a look back at Eriol.

"Take Tomoyo and get out of here!" he shouted

"I won't leave you" Eriol shouted back.

Eriol took Tomoyo's hands and bent down to capture her lips in a delicate kiss. Then he broke free and led her to the portal.

"You have to go. We will be right behind. I promise." He whispered into her ear.

"I can't leave you!" she shouted as she pulled him into a hug.

"It'll be okay" he gently caressed her and then broke from the embrace. "You have to go."

She looked into his eyes for a moment before finally nodding her head. "Okay" she whispered, tears filled her eyes and began slowly cascading down her cheeks. "Just... just promise me that I'll see you again."

"I promise" he smiled and watched as she entered the portal.

He turned back to Syaoran and the three ninja's and prepared for a fight that they couldn't possibly win.

Syaoran looked at Eriol and they both nodded. Knowing that this could easily be their last fight, but they were prepared. Neither was willing to back down give in to Kuroda; maybe they would prove him wrong after all … the just might…

"You know our odds are really, really bad…" whispered Eriol to Syaoran

"Ya, I know. I can't use my arm and you have no magical energy left." Syaoran said and then laughed "I really don't know how we get ourselves into these things"

'This is for Tomoyo' thought Eriol as he took his stance.

'This is for Sakura' thought Syaoran as he took his stance

'This should be interesting' thought Kuroda and he began to grin once more.

Syaoran looked to Eriol, they exchanged a glance. He nodded his head and with that ... the battle began.

* * *

**Authors Note**: Hey Everyone!**PLEASE** review! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see new reviews and reviewers. Keep this in mind I've submitted 303 signed reviews! See if I can do it so can you!

Sorry about taking so long to update. I had 5 exams in the past week (3 in one day!) and then all of those stupid assignments (around 6). So I really didn't have the time or the energy to update. But I finally managed to! Yay! Again it felt kind of forced, rather than smooth … I can't really explain … so it's a bit shorter than I was planning, but longer than I thought. Sorry if it's crappy! But thanks for reading anyways!

Firstly I'd like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers: Midnight-whisper3, Shaaarona, BabyPenguin, Kokari, QteLilAZnGrl, Kaye and A nadeshiko blossom. Thanks so much guys!

A **VERY** special thank you goes out to: Shabisiikage, Shaaarona, and QteLilAznGrl for adding my story to your favourites list, and to Anjuliet for adding my story to your alert list. Thank you all so VERY, VERY much!

Over 2,000 hits to my story! OMG I am sooo happy! You guys are the **BEST**! Thanks again everyone. Ja ne!


End file.
